Sounds like a new processor for the iPAQ.
--
Intel Says XScale Brings Handhelds Up To
Speed
By Amanda Stirpe, CRN
Irvine, Calif.
2:02 PM EST Fri., Feb. 09, 2001
Increasingly, solution providers are finding that the
innards of mobile devices--not bandwidth--are the reason
for application limitations.
Intel touts its XScale processor as the next-generation
mobile processor, boasting speeds starting at 200MHz at
the low end. XScale will enable high-performance
applications such as streaming video, speech recognition
and games, using one single piece of silicon, the company
says.
Current processor speeds do not provide mobile devices
with capabilities beyond a basic organizer, which range in
speeds from 130MHz for inexpensive devices to 206MHz
at the most expensive level, say analysts. The Compaq
iPaq Pocket PC devices, for example, cost about $500 and
offer 206MHz--proving performance equals price.
XScale also will incorporate packet-switched data,
currently being used in Japan's iMode connections.
Packet switching lowers the cost of data and allows more
reliable data connections than the circuit-switched
connections used in U.S. cellular networks.
Solution providers can anticipate cellular connections built into the XScale-enhanced PDA
devices to be marketed to attract vertical professionals such as field sales and medical
workers, says Mark Casey, director of marketing for Intel's handheld computing division.
XScale was unveiled six months ago at Intel's Developer Conference. Since then, Intel has
worked with OEM partners such as Compaq to roll out product this year, says Casey.
"Prices [of devices with XScale] will start at the higher end, but will become integrated into
the devices in time--leading to a reduction in costs," he says.
Currently, some handheld-device makers use the StrongARM processor, which Intel
licenses from Korean microprocessor maker ARM. Palm licenses Motorola's Dragonball
chip for use in its PDA devices.
France's Trium currently works with Motorola and Nokia to offer cellular-enabled PDA
devices using the StrongARM processor.
Intel says the Xscale processor will draw one-tenth of the original consumption of
StrongARM.
XScale's dependence on silicon concerns analysts who have been waiting for Bluetooth to
overcome silicon shortages. Intel, however, says there is no silicon shortage. LCD screen
shortages are a separate concern for Intel, which says these shortages could cause
handheld demand to outstrip supply. |
